Kianna the 12 year old cocker spaniel went missing from Cuthbert Holmes Park on Saturday. The mysterious disappearance has flustered her owners, one of which was just metres away when she went missing. (Submitted)

Disappearance of senior spaniel mystifies owners

The disappearance of Kelsey Fulton’s 12-year-old black American cocker spaniel is a confounding one for her and her husband, Kaj.

The completely-black furred dog, Kianna, has been suffering from stomach troubles lately and has slowed down considerably, with a smidgen of grey hair on her nose. So when Kai walked ahead of her on Saturday in Cuthbert Holmes Park, he assumed Kianna, off leash, was trucking along behind.

“Kaj wasn’t very far into the park, and had only turned a corner since he last saw her when he turned around and she was gone,” Fulton said.

It was about 12:30 p.m. and they had entered the park at a busy area near the Tillicum SilverCity movie theatre.

“The Colquitz River is there, so we’re concerned about, if she went to get water,” Fulton said. “We thought we would have heard her, or someone would have seen her, if she was in distress.”

The couple contacted the local ROAM chapter (Reuniting Owners with Animals Missing), and they’ve “been amazing,” Fulton said. ROAM volunteers are out day and night looking in the area.

“I can’t believe the amount of people who’ve gone looking for her in Cuthbert, it’s been heartwarming to see how many friends and family have gone through the park,” she said. “We’re at a loss. She has tags, one’s a Saanich tag, one’s a tag with my phone number on it, on a red collar.”

Roam even checks in with Fulton twice a day.

As of yet Tuesday afternoon not a single sighting had been reported.

“It’s just so weird for a high traffic area with a mall, a library, a theatre, that no one would have seen her,” Fulton said.

Kianna responds to being called “Keeks,” loves people, is super friendly and loves food, Fulton added.